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The sustainable red-carpet jeweller’s new Sloane Street boutique opened in lockdown, but those avoiding travel no longer have to miss out
October 28, 2020 By Rachael Taylor
If you’ve been avoiding central London since the pandemic hit, you will have missed out on a sparkling new addition to Sloane Street – Anabela Chan. The sustainable jeweller opened her plush store there in August, but the good news is that you can now visit virtually.
If you’ve ever lost a few hours to Google Street Maps, you’ll know exactly how this works. Head to the Anabela Chan website, navigate your way to the virtual boutique and you’ll be greeting with a tempting little chevron beckoning you into the store.
For the fullest of jewellery experiences, pop on a pair of virtual reality glasses before ‘stepping’ inside. However, if that’s not something you have to hand, it won’t hamper your digital window shopping experience.
The Anabela Chan Sloane Street store – the jeweller’s second, joining her smaller boutique in the grounds of Soho’s Ham Yard Hotel – is a temple to glamour. Golden cabinets hold her red carpet-ready jewels, all glittering with lab-grown gemstones, within a space that favours marble backdrops, ceilings hung with flowers and candy-pink carpets and walls.
The sheer enjoyment of this scene might distract you from the little flashing gemstone symbols that appear when you get close to a cabinet, but don’t miss them because clicking on each will take you on a new jewellery journey.
A window will pop up giving you more details on a jewel that lies within that cabinet – a video showing the jewel being worn, dazzlingly high-definition photography, along with a brief description. Stumbling upon such tantalising imagery, it’s practically impossible not to click through for more information and take a better look at the jewellery that has, of late, been catching the eye of stars including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johannsen, Rihanna and Kate Beckinsale.
Head into the back room of the store and you’ll find some flashing butterfly motifs. Click on these for more curiosities – Anabela’s butterfly sculptures and objet d’art, a who’s who of celebrity fans, editorial shoots.
What you won’t see in this virtual store is the staff, dressed in what has to be the chicest jewellery store uniform we’ve ever seen – glossy, pleated skirts in jewel tones. Though they are a click or a WhatsApp message away and are offering virtual appointments.
And when you’re ready to check out Sloane Street’s newest jeweller IRL, we’d highly advise investing in an Anabela Chan x Heaven Tenudiredja upcycled silk duchesse and Japanese cotton mask, embroidered with the jeweller’s signature butterflies in shimmering sequins, for the occasion.
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